Broken Halo
by Mysteryguy12
Summary: Sephiroth, encased, once again, in crystal finally comes to his senses at the start of KH2. He's forgotten everything, and everyone has forgotten him. Can he find his Heart before the Nobodies do? Read and review please.
1. Chapter 1: Overview

All people who have read Shadow Feather and Angel Memories do not need to read this chapter, unless you want to.

Welcome to Broken Halo, the third story in my little epic of Sephiroth. Now…little is actually not in the least bit true. The first fic, Shadow Feather was one thousand words short of 50,000, and its sequel, Angel Memories, almost got to 73,000. I understand that when you look at something and see 17 or 26 chapters, that is really overwhelming, no matter how appealing or how many good reviews it has. I also know that you might just wanna start reading my new one so you can get a feel for my writing, which is hard when you get dropped off in the middle of a plot.

For this reason, thanks to the brilliant counseling of my friend and fellow fanficcer Chaos 009, I have composed a (fairly) short overview of the first two fictions and am using it as the first chapter of this third installment that is Broken Halo.

This is in no way a substitute for the real fictions and I would highly recommend reading them, but you are not required to and I do understand that so many chapters and words is really overwhelming.

So here's the disclaimer for the summaries.

I disclaim all characters and places as they belong to Disney and Square Enix, NOT ME. This does exclude the characters that I have created, i.e Keter.

**Shadow Feather**

Shadow Feather begins with Sephiroth floating in pure darkness, something I have named myself as the Nexus. His original world, the Planet, was destroyed by Heartless shortly after he was defeated by his nemesis Cloud (go play Final fantasy 7 if you don't know who that is. Also be slapped.).

He comes to his senses, alone, naked and only holding his treasured katana Masamune. After some time, he is assaulted by Heartless and his heart is ripped from his body. Before it can be devoured by Heartless, he takes it back and saves himself. It is later revealed that this incident made his heart very unstable.

He defeats an enormous group of Heartless and hears a mysterious voice, Xehanort's Heartless, Ansem at the time, in his head. He settles down and communes with his own thoughts to wage a mental battle against the intruder. He defeats Ansem and is transported to Hollow Bastion.

When he reaches Hollow Bastion, he meets with the Disney villains who are discussing their plans with Sora. He finds out that Cloud is alive from Hades and threatens to kill the whole group. He is beaten by sorcery and nearly killed but Masamune (I consider it to have a mind of its own) saves him. Hades decides to make a deal with him to kill Hercules in order to take Sephiroth to the coliseum.

On their trip, A heartless makes a shallow cut on Sephiroth's shoulder and a wing forms there. This seems insignificant, but this is actually the "Birth" of Sephiroth's first Nobody, Keter. You don't know it at the time.

Sephiroth arrives at the coliseum in time to witness the first tournament. Sora and Cloud fight and Sora gets his ass handed to him. Cloud seems to have gotten weaker though, and Sephiroth deems him unworthy, leaving him in Hades hands after he scares the crap out of the god. He then leaves for Hollow Bastion once again.

When he gets there, he is in time to see Maleficent speaking with Riku. He sees something strange about Riku and ultimately believes that he is from the Planet, as opposed to Destiny Islands.

Sephiroth secludes himself in the library where he meets Axel. The two of them fight while Axel shares information of who and what Riku is. Riku is apparently, the last experiment of Hojo and was transported to Destiny Islands as a child. Hojo gave himself to the darkness in order to send him there.

Sephiroth decides that he cares about Riku, almost like a son, and struggles with his new feelings. He eventually returns to the meeting room of the Disney villains in time to see Maleficent give Riku the ability to control the Heartless. He recognizes the risk and nearly kills Maleficent in anger. He decides to look after Riku and protect him from whatever he can.

Sephiroth heads to Traverse Town to meet with Sora. Instead of Sora, he meets up with Leon and kicks some Heartless butt. Yuffie and Cid show up and try to kill him. Sephiroth, being a good guy now, is about to let himself be killed in order to atone for his sins, when Aerith intervenes. Aerith forgives him after he realizes that protecting people is important and decides to help in any way he can. He even decides that he wants to help Cloud. Sephiroth creates the One Winged Angel keychain in order to assist Sora in bringing Riku to his senses.

Sephiroth returns to Hollow Bastion in time to hear Riku gaining more powers and getting closer to the darkness. Sephiroth can't stop Maleficent because other members of the Organization are keeping him out. Zexion and Lexaeus try to kill him but fail and leave after Riku gets more power. Sephiroth beats Maleficent senseless and starts searching the castle for Riku.

He runs into Ansem, who reveals his plan to him, and also sends him to agrabah to play with some Kurt Zisa. Sephiroth has a difficult time with them, nearly dies, and gets saved by Mickey. Mickey says some cryptic stuff and sends Sephiroth back to Hollow Bastion.

Sephiroth arrives during the first battle of Riku and Sora where Sora gets his keyblade back. Riku gets beaten and Seph follows him. He runs into the Organization again who stall him and try to kill him. He fights for a bit with Axel, lexaeus, and larxene. When they are done, they vanish.

Riku has already been taken over by Ansem. Ansem-Riku pierces Sephiroth's heart with the black keyblade thing and turns him into a Heartless. Not known at the time, this also fully shatters his Heart, creating the possibility for multiple Nobodies. You learn this at the end of Angel Memories. Sephiroth reaps havoc in Traverse Town until he gets changed back by Mickey.

Sephiroth enters a tournament to give his keychain to Sora. He fights Sora and sees his potential. He lets Sora win. Then he meets up with Cloud who is the only person who hasn't forgiven him. He fights Cloud and before either one can kill one another, he transports him to the Nexus and drops him off in Hollow Bastion to meet up with Aerith. Cloud doesn't know why.

Shadow Feather ends with Sephiroth floating in the darkness.

**Angel Memories**

Sephiroth ends up with Riku and Mickey on the other side of the door that KH ends with. He finally talks with Riku who realizes who he is and they run into the last fragments of Ansem. Sephiroth fights him and everyone gets beaten and then transported to Castle Oblivion. Sephiroth meets with the Enigmatic Man, not knowing who he is and learns some strange things about Nobodies.

At mostly alternating chapters, Sephiroth either faces difficult memories in the rooms of Castle Oblivion or fights a member of the Organization in the hallway. A summary is redundant so here are some basic things.

Vexen, being a scientist, is fascinated with Sephiroth and causes him the most emotional pain, especially when he talks about making the Riku Clone.

Axel is annoyed with Sephiroth for being there and doesn't like how Sephiroth is rebelling against his memories because it hurts Namine.

Namine is using Sephiroth to find a balance between his old self (selfish and cold) and his new personality (only caring about others and not himself). She accomplishes this by making him relive terrible memories and relearning that not all people are worth saving.

Sephiroth really identifies with the Riku Replica, and his existence causes him a lot of grief.

At the end, Sephiroth relives the memory of Nibelheim. In the end of the memory, he realizes that protecting others is important, but his own survival does come first. He personally kills his memory of Cloud.

After that, Namine transports Sephiroth to Deep Dive City (I don't remember the real name) where two more of his Nobodies are "born," creating the two new wings that he has in KH2. He watches them and learns that Keter, the leader of his nobodies, has been around ever since the first chapter over a year ago. The two new nobodies are named, Binah being the female, Chokhmah being the male. They discover him and try to kill him but he is saved by Namine.

Namine explains to him who those people were, and the fact that he has an incredibly unstable heart that is broken into pieces. The pieces all orbit an unnatural phenomenon called the Ain Soph, a light found in his Heart with incredibly destructive powers. The real Ansem reveals to Sephiroth that sleeping in one of the memory tanks may help recover his heart, but everyone will forget who he is. And he must give his heart to someone else for safekeeping.

Sephiroth decides that it is for the better that people forget him and decides to give his heart to cloud while he is out of commission. He feels bad because it's a burden for him but it must be done.

Angel Memories ends with Sephiroth falling asleep and everyone forgetting him.

So that is the summary, not bad making the summary of two stories in the span of a regular sized chapter. I'm undoubtedly leaving stuff out that's probably important, so I would very much suggest reading back to the other two before reading this, but I wont blame you if you don't. So these first three chapters are already written, prewritten, so there aren't authors notes on the next two. Hope you enjoy.


	2. Comprehension

I disclaim all necessary things.

Broken Halo: Chapter 2

Comprehension

(lost)

Night doesn't fall in this city. Night fell long ago, and while it stretched a velvet curtain of dark across the sky, the day lost its way to morning and never again returned. It's been a long time now, so long I can't remember. Not that I've had anything to mark it with. It's always night after all, and the clock on the giant skyscraper runs in strange ways.

I didn't have anyone to ask either. Not for the longest time anyway. I suppose it's strange for such a large city to exist without anyone inhabiting the buildings that tear at the dusky skyline. But I'd long since came to terms with that.

The loneliness was probably the most difficult thing to deal with. The constant milky light streaming from streetlamps only helps remind you that there is only one shadow traveling with you. But even that wasn't so bad. I always knew deep inside that more would be coming. I wasn't sure how I knew this, but the more I wandered the city, the more unmarked time I spent inside this place, the more clear that fact became. Soon, I came to accept that thought as my first and only company.

I entered the castle a long time ago. Everything feels like a long time ago. I had only just come to exist, and the castle reminded me of home…or something. For one reason or another, I wanted to find out more about it. So I went inside. My welcome was less than warm. Battle ensued and I was driven out and banished. I don't really remember many of the specifics. Everything was blurry back then.

So I spent most of my time in this twilit city just sitting and thinking. In truth, it wasn't all that bad. As time went by, Murasame and I grew closer and it soon became my first physical friend of sorts. In my thoughts, everything began to piece itself together. I remembered more and more about who I was and learned what would eventually come.

And come it did.

Not long ago, maybe a night, maybe a week, two more comrades arrived on the gloomy streets of the city. They were confused, like I was. Not terribly surprising. It was almost amusing, watching the two of them muddle through their new identities. They tried to kill each other, so I stopped them.

We talked for a while. I knew who they were, but it was quite the experience to feel emotions like those the two of them sparked inside me. I had never felt compassion like this. Never felt the joy of helping. Then something wonderful happened.

Murasame noticed first. The Container was there as well. That's what I had taken to thinking of him as. A container. Childish perhaps, but accurate nonetheless.

And the emotions that came with that discovery were fantastic. My body almost moved on its own. I felt more alive that I had in my entire existence, corporeal or not. Every inch of me was filled to capacity with excitement. I knew that my comrades felt it as well. I even knew what I had to do.

In the end, I shouldn't have been too surprised. The Container was very strong. He defeated me. If I had been alone, maybe he would have killed me. Maybe I would have returned there. I still shudder when I think about it.

But I wasn't alone. My two comrades assisted me and together we managed to beat the Container. It was thrilling, to finally see him lying there. He looked so human. I felt another emotion. At the time, I didn't know what it was. Now though, I think it's called…pity.

We were interrupted though. Something came and with it, another emotion. I knew this one. I had felt it before, before I was me…

Fear.

Even further than that. Something terrible that shook me to my core, to the deep rooted center from which I have created all that I am and left me feeling hollow and utterly defeated. That bright light ripped through my eyes and skin like it was nothing at all. And the memory of that very feeling only made it worse until I was hurled down a spiraling path of mental instability.

When I came to my senses, the Container was gone.

It took longer for my comrades to recover. When they finally did, we spoke for a long time. I explained what it had taken me over a year to discover on my own. The warm sensation of sharing that knowledge still stays with me. I don't know how long it was, but eventually we agreed to pause and continue another time. Sleep, as I had to explain to them, is necessary for maintaining a body. So we let the constant darkness settle on our eyes, and let sleep take us. For the first time, I was not without company in this. How…nice.

Something erased itself from my being. Something intense and deep removed itself while I slept and drifted away. Something very important floated away on the morning wind, and when I woke, it left only the faintest trail of wrongness. It was a simple, quiet stench left behind that was just about to thin out of existence as I caught the briefest whiff of it. As I focused on it in the gradually increasing twilight, that's all there ever is in this city, it became harder and harder to remain awake.

Just let it go. It can't be all that important. I _am_ rather tired after all. Yes…it's best to just let it go. No sense worrying about such a faint feeling.

But something, something rooted too deeply within me would not let it go. Quietly, I stumbled to my weary feet. The strange feeling grew stronger for a second and then moved out of my reach. I took a weary step forward, as if hoping to chase the feeling. I became aware of other footsteps; two other figures beside me had gained a shaky footing on the deep blue stones of the square. Though I did not look at them, I filed away the periphery knowledge of their existence away in the annals of my mind.

Again the bizarre sensation of loss thinned and threatened to disappear completely. I took chase, struggling harder against the choking hand of sleep. My uneven footsteps clapped softly against the stone with increasing urgency. Whatever it was that I was losing seemed more important by the second.

My hands reached out in a hopeless groping motion. Pale fingers twisted and danced a wild waltz on the edge of my hazy vision, walking on the horizon in perfect lines. The urgency grew stronger without reason and I found myself running, with two more pairs of feet closely in tow.

What was it that I was chasing? The question made me even more alarmed because it made that feeling stretch even farther away from my outstretched fingers than it had before. In moments I was breathing heavily, dashing in a mind bogglingly swift and haphazard gait. I was fully awake now but that didn't bring the sensation any closer.

No. In fact, it was getting further away. My pace quickened as a new emotion of fear took hold of my mind. I couldn't let it get away. I wouldn't let it get away. This thing…this important thing, no one was going to take it from me.

One running pair of feet died away and I knew that it had already beaten one of us. Again, the tempo of my rushing feet hastened. Ahead of me, something loomed tall and ominous. A building. The large gray stones that constructed the wall facing me dipped forward, almost challenging me in a mocking tone.

I didn't pause, I didn't slow, I didn't even turn my shoulder forward to take the brunt of the blow. I felt mortar crack and blow away about my person and then it was gone again as I raced ever forward.

I was alone now, the other pair of feet had stopped after the wall. It had gotten that one as well. Suddenly it doubts began to assail my mind. What was I running away from? What will happen to me if I stop running? Am I chasing, or being chased? These new questions struck me like blows, upsetting the rhythm of my pounding legs and sending my mind reeling.

Panic, more than ever began to settle inside my mind. I have to keep running, but why? What is it about stopping that is so terrible? My breath was ragged now. Sweat was gradually running down my face. I felt dehydrated. It would be nice to stop for a moment.

But the thought of stopping threw me into a frenzy. My previously uniform steps became wild and jagged. One foot came and pushed hard against the blurred ground, sending me soaring for nearly two seconds through the air and then one would come down and barely graze the ground before the first would follow it. My muscles began to strain in protest from this arduous procedure.

And if I were only to stop, all of this would cease to bother me. I knew that. I knew it deep inside that stopping would put everything to rights again. So why didn't I? It wasn't even instinct anymore. My instincts were telling me to quit this fools journey before I killed myself in the process. Then what? What was making me run?

One foot missed the ground. For a split second my world turned upside down and shattered into a million pieces. A knee hit the ground first, gouging a deep scar into the midnight blue stones. It was followed by an elbow, my chest, my head, and then finally my back.

Flecks of blood splattered out and I screamed at the pain of losing what I had been chasing, and then…I forgot. I rolled for a time, turning over myself again and again until I finally crashed into something strong and sturdy. I may have been upside down at the time, it didn't really matter. Things felt right again. I felt safer and more complete now that I wasn't running anymore.

And why had I even been running in the first place? I felt strange, and most of all, I felt tired. Why had I been running? Even the running I could hardly remember now. I could feel each of my previous loping strides drift away and out of my grasp until my memory consisted only of falling to the ground. Should I feel sad? I don't know…but somehow though…it doesn't really matter.

When I awoke, I was lying in a pile of broken stone tiles and cracked plaster. I felt something nudge my shoulder. Silently, I looked to where the push had come from. Chokhmah stood over me, peering down and breathing slowly. He looked confused.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Chokhmah cocked his head and straightened up. He let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders quietly. I shook my head, causing loose pieces of plaster to fall from my hair, and stood up. I looked him in the eye and he looked back steadily.

"Is it nothing, or is it something you don't understand yet?" I questioned softly.

Chokhmah began to say that he didn't understand, but paused midway through his sentence.

"It's…concern." He said slowly, as if sounding out the idea letter by letter. He paused again. "At least I think it is." He scratched his head. "I was…concerned…when I saw you lying here."

I smiled warmly at him and brushed some more rocks from my clothing. "Good, you're doing excellently. You put together ideas very well."

"Not as fast as Binah though."

We both smiled as we thought of our comrade. She was excelling at an incredible rate. I suppose I shouldn't be terribly surprised. There was always something about her that radiated understanding. She'd nearly assimilated everything I had taught her, and se was already teaching me other things. As I contemplated her progress, she rounded the corner across the square and joined Chokhmah and I. She to looked concerned.

"Keter," she began hesitantly. Whatever she was struggling with appeared to be beyond anything I had dealt with yet. Her brow furrowed slightly and she continued slowly. "I feel…confused." She shook her head. "No…I feel..." her hands absently molded the morning mist around her while she tried to think of the word.

"I feel…a loss."

I had never felt what she was talking about, and yet, as always, within a second, I could feel it too, and understand it like she could. Chokhmah to, nodded his head and leaned against the wall in thought.

My thoughts were terribly askew and I wanted simply to ignore this feeling but it would not go away.

"It hurts," Binah said softly.

Chokhmah nodded. "Yes, but not…really. It hurts…" he paused. "On the inside."

I knew what he was talking about. I could feel it just like they could. Something was trying to clamor for my attention. What was this feeling.

"Yea," I said. Silently I raised my hand and placed it on my chest. "It hurts…right here?"

Chokhmah and Binah both nodded and placed their own hands on their chests. We stood for a long time in silence, letting the mist roll over our bodies. I felt the pain, small and dull, but now I knew that it would always be present. It made me…sad.

So this is what loss feels like.


	3. Naming

I disclaim all necessary things.

Broken Halo: Chapter 2

Naming

(what I feel)

Day came, or as much of a day can come in this city. It didn't bring light, though the musty half-light seemed to give way to a slightly brighter shade that really didn't make any difference. I often asked myself what could make the light change. There was never any sort of sun to bring light; the moon was always placed in the same singular location in the dim sky.

I was thankful for that. The lack of a sun was comforting though I couldn't place a reason as to why that is. Even the constant glow of the moon made me irritable when I looked at it. I tried, as I often did, to look directly at it. My gaze wavered at the edge of the thing and then pulled away, almost involuntarily. I was afraid of it. Of it's light.

As comforting as the darkness is, it isn't safe. There was a soft giggle across the square and I saw movement. A shadow within a shadow, so to speak. Beside me, Chokhmah roused and stood up, peering into the dark alleyway from which the laughter was emanating.

"What is it?"

I remained silent, confident that my own knowledge would soon seep into his own mind and enlighten him. Soon enough, it did.

"Ah," he was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Do they have names?"

"I don't know yet." I shook my head. I had spent a long time fighting the creatures off when I was alone. They were simple minded things. They didn't have a concrete reason for attacking me. After a while, they seemed to lose interest. Still, I wondered if they would attack again.

The giggling creature stepped out of the alley and hopped curiously toward us. Bright golden eyes blinked several times, trying to understand what we were. The shadow scratched behind its antennae and took another hop forward. Its head bobbed occasionally, almost like it was sniffing the air.

"What does it want?" Chokhmah asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know." From behind me, I could hear Binah waking from her sleep.

The little thing hopped closer and cocked its head to one side. It looked at me, then at Chokhmah and then to Binah, who had now risen and joined us in watching the creature. It made a small sound and hopped forward nervously.

Slowly, became aware of heavy breathing from beside me. I looked a Binah, who seemed to be grinding her teeth. Her hands clenched and unclenched slowly. I was about to ask what was wrong when it dawned on me. Binah's feelings slowly seeped into my own mind.

Anger.

I glanced at the little shadow again. It was closer now, still looking confused and curious. I could feel it now, the indignation that Binah was feeling. That thing had something. Something very valuable. Something that everything should have. That everyone should have. And…something was telling me that we didn't have it.

But, that was far too ambiguous. Too many variables, too confusing. But still, I knew that it was true.

And what was more, the little thing wasn't happy with it. It wanted more. Wanted more of something that we have none of. It was…terrible.

Binah slowly brought her hands from her side and looked at them in surprise. They were shaking. Shaking with what? I saw her eyes narrow and watched her hands drop to her side. She grimaced and took a step back.

Rage.

She was shivering with rage. She…hated…this creature. I could feel it inside me. I felt the hatred grow in me as well but I put it aside. I could see Chokhmah struggling with the rush of emotions as well. He seemed to be handling them well, his breathing was steady, only his eyes showed the conflict.

The creature hopped forward again. It raised a dark claw and brushed my pant leg gently. It sent shivers up my spine.

"Tch." Binah scowled and there was a dim flash of milky white light. The shadow withdrew his hand and glanced curiously at Binah. "Step back." Her voice was cold and while I knew that I could have refused, I obediently stepped backward.

A pearl white blur flashed in front of me. There was the sound of thunder and a crunch as the stone ground shattered. The square shuddered with the blow and I saw a thing black dust waft out from under the hammer. Binah's breathing slowly returned to normal as she retracted her hammer.

She held the enormous instrument in her hand, shaking slightly before sighing loudly and bringing it close to her face. The woman inspected the hammer for a moment, as though seeing it for the first time. There was no trace that it had been used in any way. The milky white metal was not stained by the creature it had just obliterated, nor was it scratched from its impact with the floor. It held still for a moment and then shivered ever so slightly.

Binah's eyes twitched as the lids opened a fraction of an inch further. She stared intently at the hammer in her hand, now completely still. It took me a moment before I knew what was happening. He weapon was speaking to her.

"What a strange name," she finally said. The hammer shivered again, this time in such a way that it almost appeared sarcastic. Binah smiled slightly and nodded. "I suppose so."

It was tempting to ask her what it had said, but I knew it would be rude, and soon enough the important parts would filter into my own mind and become part of our own collective knowledge. Within moments, it did.

It didn't come in many words. Most of it was represented by a warm understanding emotion that seemed to come with most of Binah's transmissions. I could feel that both Binah and her hammer had become closer and trusted each other more. It was the same with me and Murasame.

Mjolnir.

That was the name of her weapon. I couldn't hear it. I knew that I would never be able to, but I could feel what it was like. It was sturdy, severe; it radiated warmth, almost like fire. Not like Murasame. Murasame spoke in whispers that made me think of wind, vast and sharp. Murasame walked the line between severity and mercy, razor sharp, but capable of a soft breeze as well. At my side, Murasame shuddered slightly. I smiled; it felt good to be this close to the blade.

Chokhmah cocked his head to one side and glanced down at his own hands. In an instant, there was a dull flash and in each palm he held a pearl white tonfa. He twirled them experimentally and then held them still. They did not move.

"Can you tell me your name?" he said somberly. For a while, he stood in silence, watching the tonfa carefully. They remained completely still, glinting dully in the semi-light. Chokhmah frowned slightly. "Please, I would like to know more about you." The tonfa remained still. Chokhmah frowned further and raised the weapons to his face, resting them against his forehead and closing his eyes.

He stood still for a while longer and then opened his eyes.

"Ah," he said in quiet surprise. He was quiet again and I looked at him in interest, wondering what could have surprised him. Slowly, the information reached me.

"Two of them?" I said, not surprised, but interested.

"Ramiel and Uriel," Chokhmah said with a smile.

"It makes sense," Binah added. "Doesn't it?"

The three of us nodded in unison and I smiled. I felt the same warm feeling I had earlier. This was companionship. I had been waiting for this and it felt very good. Even as I felt that, the strange emotion of loss returned to me. It was not the first time. It seemed to happen every time I thought of companions. Why…is that?

My sadness traveled along invisible cords and reached the other two. They looked at me, first confused then in understanding. We were silent for a while, and then I shook the feeling and straightened up.

"Well," I looked at Binah, then to Chokhmah. "I'm glad that you've both learned so much so quickly." I smiled a thin smile, remembering my own time spent learning what they knew. It had taken so long. It really was a painful experience. "We're not done yet though. There's still a lot of knowledge that I have not passed to you, and I have a lot I can learn from you as well. Let us use our time to do so." I reached out and laid a hand on their shoulders. "Maybe we can figure out what it is that we have lost."


	4. Knocking on mental doors

I disclaim all necessary things.

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Broken Halo: Chapter 4

Knocking on mental doors

(is he?)

How long has it been? How long have I been in this city? How many lightless days have passed? How many full moons have crept across the sky? How many times have I asked myself these same questions? How long will it be until I find what I have lost?

It's been some time since my companions arrived now. More than a week, less than a century. Even that estimate is based on nothing than instinct. The thought that I could be wrong made me irate.

"What's wrong?" Binah turned to me and cocked an eyebrow in concern.

Binah picked up on my mood instantly. She was quicker than the rest of us at doing that. Chokhmah looked confused for a moment, but in a few seconds, the feeling settled inside him as well and he gave a slight nod.

What's wrong…I wasn't even sure myself. I sighed softly and settled on the closest thing I could to explain what I was thinking.

"I feel like…there's something we should be doing." My fingers found their way to my temples and began to massage them, trying to stimulate thought. "But…I don't know what is…or how we can find out." Another sigh escaped my lips. "It's not even a concrete feeling…it's just a nagging thought…almost like a memory." I reviewed my last sentence and shook my head at it. "It's probably nothing. You probably can't feel it."

Chokhmah's head shook slowly and Binah's short hair shimmered in the twilight as she shook hr own.

"No…I can't feel it," Chokhmah said calmly.

"Me neither," Binah agreed.

Chokhmah smiled softly. "Don't let it worry you. If there's really nothing you can do, there's no point in letting it consume your thoughts. Our time, as we are spending it now is in no way wasted."

"It certainly seems that way," I said bitterly. We were making progress every day. I could feel that. But it all seemed so useless. What was it for? What was the point of it? All this sharing and learning? All the sparring, the strengthening…what are we going to use it for? Maybe it's because nothing ever changes in this city. It makes our own evolving seem pointless and without worth.

Nothing else ever changes.

I glanced again at the castle on the horizon. It still radiated its dim white light. That thing still made me nervous. Almost the same shade as the moon. The pointed towers and rising white stone were shaped just as they had been from the beginning. I recalled my venture into the castle. Are the people in there still alive?

Not that it really matters…

"Keter?"

Chokhmah's voice snapped me back to reality. I grunted to let them know I was focused again. Chokhmah was looking at me worriedly but when he saw that I was back to my normal self, he turned his attention to the other end of the alley. Binah was standing next to me, hammer in hand, and breathing heavily.

"What's going…" I looked to the end of the alley. At the edge of it, one of the shadow creatures was standing awkwardly, looking at us with glowing yellow eyes. It blinked and stepped forward. This one was taller than most of the others. Almost shaped like us, instead of an animal. Its antennae twitched slightly as it bobbed its head, inspecting us.

Binah let out a breath, ragged with anger. I looked at her. It was that same look of rage she had the last time she saw one of the creatures. I stepped forward.

"Wait." I laid a finger on her hammer and smiled at her. She seemed to calm down for a moment. "I want to try talking to it."

"You can't talk to it," Binah said through gritted teeth.

I stepped away from her and moved toward the creature. "We don't know that until we try. And none of us have ever tried before." I took a few more steps until I was a few feet from the creature. It looked at me curiously. "Hello," I said slowly.

The creature cocked its head to one side and took a shuffling step forward.

"What are you called?" I asked in a calm voice.

The creature shuffled forward again and twitched its head again. Slowly, a section of its face creased and then cracked, opening into something of a mouth. It had sharp black teeth and a dark long tongue.

"Ah…" it said.

"My name is Keter," I replied. Maybe the creature was sentient. That would be interesting. I put my hand forward, offering it to the creature, trying to let it know that I meant no harm.

"Ah…" it said and raised its own shadowy appendage. The claw like hand stretched forward and brushed lightly against mine. The creature's antennae twitched again. It looked almost like it was thinking.

After a moment, it shuffled forward again. Its mouth opened wider and let out a giggle. I couldn't quite understand what was funny but I smiled as well, proud of myself for having investigated the new creature.

The dark hand that had rested on mine slipped off of me and hovered in the air for a moment. Before I realized it, the creature had darted forward and thrust the claw inside my chest. I gasped for a moment, expecting pain, but the claws did not pierce the skin. They simply melted through it. The creature stared intently at my chest and I could feel it moving its fingers inside of me. This did not feel like a friendly gesture.

Acting more on instinct than thought, I drew Murasame from its sheathe and in half a second, reduced the apparition to vapor. Briefly, I was surrounded by a dark mist but my eyes weren't focused on that. My eyes were screwed up in the agonizing pain that was drifting out of my chest. Pain beyond reckoning, mental and physical, racked my body. I tried to scream but my breath caught and sunk back into my lungs. Those terrible severed digits were still scratching away at me from the inside.

I felt an awful fingers twist around something small and unnatural and pull weakly on it. My body felt as though it were on fire and my mind cracked and spasmed with the hurt.

The whole ordeal lasted two seconds, but in that moment, I felt the most horrible pain I had ever experienced. In a flash, the pain was gone and the horrible fingers melt away into harmless nothingness, but the memory remained.

After a moment, Binah and Chokhmah whimpered in unison and burst into a chorus of pained screeches. I knew they weren't feeling the physical pain, but rather the backwash of my mental memory. I felt bad for them. It took several seconds for me to breathe again, and when I could, I stood up. I hadn't realized I had fallen down.

I took another moment to gather myself and take in my surroundings, checking to make sure everything was more or less in its rightful place. Then, I turned to my companions.

"Did you feel it?" It seemed like a silly question, if one looked at the general sense of the query. But I was asking about something more specific. Binah and Chokhmah looked at each other for a moment and then nodded slowly.

"It was like…a door had been opened for a moment," Chokhmah said with a thoughtful tone. "But…we couldn't see what was beyond it."

Binah shivered slightly. "Yes, but the strange thing is…that…door…it had been hidden before. Somehow, it had been hidden in your own mind. Hidden deeply and guarded carefully."

"Hidden?" I said softly. The two looked at me with curiosity in their eyes. "Was it hidden?" I paused, staring blankly into space. "Or was it lost?"

I turned on my heel and strode out of the alleyway. Behind me, my companions yelled protests that I ignored. I stepped out of the shelter of the alley and onto a dimly lit street. To my right, I could hear the sound of battle, soft and distant. Without a word to Binah or Chokhmah, I turned and hurried down the empty street.

When I reached the end of the road, I listened again and found my bearings. As I began walking, a small absence of light caught my attention. I watched the puddle of blackness and then, it rippled and flowed upwards, forming shapes and joints until finally it formed into one of the bug-like creatures I had seen not so long ago. It cocked its head at me and I bent forward and grabbed the apparition by its feeble neck and held it at arms length.

"What do you know?" I waited for a moment while it floundered feebly in the air. "Can you speak?" The creature blinked and finally brought a tiny arm against mine and let it melt into my skin. I could feel the claw begin to morph slowly up my forearm.

I snapped the tiny neck and hurled it to the ground, crushing it underfoot. The residue of the hand made a final leap up to my shoulder and then vanished. That was the proof I had needed. These things weren't sentient. They were our enemy, and would be treated as such.

I continued to stalk down the dim streets. After some time, my companions caught up and followed me, now aware of what I was doing thanks to our linked consciousness. In the distance, the sound of battle grew louder and the amount of creatures grew. I slew them without hesitation, often before they turned to see me. Binah joined in, summoning Mjolnir and crushing the shadows as we went. Chokhmah remained passive, following silently and watching us intently.

Within time, the crowd of creatures grew so thick that walking became impossible. When this time came, Chokhmah summoned his own weapons and joined the fray, though less fervently than Binah or I. We cut a swathe of destruction through the streets, Murasame singing softly as it cleaved through rows of enemies.

After some more time, perhaps hours, perhaps days, we came to a square. Behind us, the black mist rose from the street and thinned slowly, creating a swirling solution in the dim light. In the middle of the square, an enormous building rose upward to tear at the sky above. In front of it, two figures stood. Both wore nearly identical clothing, black leather robes, while one had a hood over his face, and the other was revealed.

The figure without a hood appeared to be a young boy with silver hair. He was breathing heavily and bleeding from several shallow cuts. He was crouched slightly, with a strange sword held in his right hand. He looked dizzy, but the strangest thing was the pitch black blindfold that covered his eyes. The cloth was tied behind his head in a simple knot and the extra cloth cascaded past the silver hair and down his bent back.

When I noticed the blood trickling down his side, I felt something in my stomach drop slightly. I was feeling…pity.

Across from him, another young boy, judging from the shape of the figure, bounced slowly on his toes in caution. He too was bleeding slightly but from many less cuts than his opponent. He held two oddly key shaped swords, one rigidly held in front with his right hand, and the other nearly dangling in his loose left wrist behind his back.

The hooded boy leaned forward and I caught a glimpse of the bottom half of his face. He smiled.

He leapt forward, whipping his left hand forward and hurling a key sword at the silver haired boy. The blindfolded child jumped back, stumbled slightly, and deflected the oncoming blade. The two strange swords slashed and sparked before the key went flying into the sky.

The hoodless boy took another weary step back to regain his footing but did so too late. The hooded child ducked under his guard and struck out with his elbow, knocking the wind from his lungs and the sword from his hand. In a quick motion, the hooded figure whirled and brought the dull side of his blade crashing against his foe's unprotected side.

I let out a gasp which surprised me. For some reason, I was feeling sorry for the silver haired child. He hit the ground and I winced and when he cried out in pain, I nearly stepped forward to kill the other boy. Chokhmah stopped me. My chest hit his arm and I looked at him in fury.

"I feel it to," he said softly. "But there's no reason for it. If we watch, we might learn something. I seethed for a moment, but realized my foolishness, and stepped back.

Across the square, the hooded figure moved to his downed enemy and picked him up by the collar. He shook him once and yelled something that I couldn't make out. After a moment, the silver haired child smiled and said something I couldn't hear. The hooded boy dropped his enemy and walked away in disgust. The other boy dropped like a rock and remained motionless.

Was he dead? I stepped forward hesitantly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the hooded figure exit on another street. Was the other one dead?

_Far away, almost in another time, something was stirring._

I started walking. Is he breathing?

_Breathing…it was…breathing…far away…_

Is he ok? I felt something in my mind fall into place. He shouldn't die.

_Was it…sleeping?_

He can't be dead. I was running now. In a moment I had closed the distance between the motionless figure and myself.

_Eyes, a man's eyes, opened slowly._

I reached the downed child. Was he breathing? Was his heart beating? Is he dead? Is he dead! Check the pulse…is there a pulse? Is he dead?

_Was I dead?_

And I screamed.

"_RIKU!"_

ever so slowly, the door opened

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This ends the prewritten stuff. I thought it's a good place to leave off because if you are smart enough, you should know who just woke up. Anywho, I hope the overview was good enough for you new people, tell me what you think so far, and trust me, the rest of the story won't be from the POV of my OCs. Just in case you thought that it might be.

From here on, I hope I can update quickly, but I won't promise you anything yet. Keep feeding me reviews, cause it really does help out with the creative process. All you veterans, keep it up, I love you guys. Talk to you later.


	5. Lighting Lotus

I disclaim the necessary things

Broken Halo: Chapter 5

Lighting Lotus

(a different bloom)

_Mother_

"Ugh…"

The moan escaped my lips before I was even fully conscious. My head felt like something were about to burst out from it. I could feel the walls around me. I tried to open my eyes.

"Ugh…"

Too bright…far too bright. Where am I? Where is…

_Mother? Are you there?_

Agh…my head was pounding now. The light slowly creeped under my eyelids and shot needles into the back of my skull. Where the hell am I?

_I can't feel you anymore, mother._

Little by little my eyes inched open, letting the horrible stabbing pain increase. After a moment, the pain subsided to an excruciating ache. In front of me I could see my reflection in a glass case.

_Mother…_

What the…wings? I swept my eyes over my reflection. Three great black wings sprouted out from my limp body. One protruded from my right shoulder, and another two from my thighs.

_Is this a gift to me? Mother?_

Mother? No…not quite.

_Jenova? Are you there?_

Jenova…yes. That was its name. Jenova. Not a mother at all. God…I had been such a fool.

_Are you gone? Am I finally…rid of you?_

I waited, floating quietly in this glass chamber, listening to the silence of my mind. There was no answer. Jenova really wasn't there anymore. I felt…freer. I felt stronger. What had I been before? Was I its slave? No…not a slave, not a tool…I was simply…directed by this parasite that I called mother.

And now I was free to do as I pleased. It feels…good.

I tried moving. My body felt limber and strong. My arms stretched outwards, feeling the empty air with my gloved fingers. I was alive, something made me very certain of that fact. I was alive. _He_ hadn't killed me after all.

Immediately my mind flashed back to my enemy. Cloud Strife. The memory of his buster sword crashing down on my skull, splitting me open, killing me…

Killing me…

What the hell is going on? I stepped forward in my glass chamber and pressed gently against the shiny surface. It was definitely solid. I pushed harder. Nothing happened. Silently I withdrew my probing fingers and transformed one into a fist. My hand crashed through the glass, sending a deafening echo all around the white room. Bits of the transparent surface clattered to the ground and around my feet.

Where am I? The question burrowed itself into my immediate thoughts like an ever present itch. I stepped out from my confined space and turned to look at the container. It was shaped like the bud of a flower. Strange…it had felt so similar to the crystal I had waited in for so many years. But I did not recognize this place. It was new, strange, almost alarming even. And…it wasn't the planet. I couldn't feel the Lifestream. What is this place?

"Alright…" I muttered quietly. "Calm down. There is no immediate danger." I took a deep breath and slowly released it. "Think."

Ounce by ounce I retraced my steps. I had awoken when Cloud had given my the Black Materia. Mother…no…Jenova had directed me through the caverns of the Northern Crater…we had reached the very core of the planet. The single point where all the Lifestream came together. We waited. We planned. _They_ came. Jenova fought. Jenova lost. I fought. I lost. We fought. We lost. And then…

Then what? I swam in nothingness…and then…

Then I found him again. How did I do it? How did I find him? I remember…light? A fragment? Something that connected Cloud to me. Something that bound us together. And I confronted him. What was I? I wasn't flesh and blood. I was…a memory? And I fought him. And then…

And then…

And then what? Then I wake up here? Encased in some airtight crystal lotus flower with three wings sprouting out from my body? What…what happened? What happened…

"Dammit," I sighed. "_What_ is going on?" The pieces just didn't fit. Something was incredibly out of place.

I tried again. I found the epicenter of the Lifestream. I fought Cloud. I lost. I fought him again as…an apparition of some sort. I lost again. And then…

Then…

"_Dammit!_" I stomped on the broken glass at my feet. The crunch echoed throughout the enormous room. "It doesn't…fit."

Maybe…I was dead? But…dying means to return to the Lifestream. Dying means to complete the circle and return your essence to where it had spawned from. The afterlife…there were some sects that talked about an afterlife. But…it was proved that the Lifestream absorbs the essence of the dead. There can't _be_ an afterlife. So…I'm alive?

At my side, I felt a familiar shudder. Glancing downwards, I discovered Masamune gently shaking in its scabbard.

"You would know, wouldn't you? Whether I'm alive or not? You know the difference well enough don't you?" The blade shivered again warmly. "So you're saying I'm not dead…that's a start."

I surveyed the room once again. The glaring whiteness of the walls and ceilings cut into my eyes, burning them again and making me blink. Behind me, the opened lotus of glass stood silently. Beyond that, there appeared to be a single door, barely recognizable from the rest of the wall. I sighed.

"And I suppose that's our next step."

I skirted around the edges of the crystal pod, noting the impressive number of layers. About halfway around the device, I felt something odd. I stopped walking. Something felt wrong. My brow furrowed in confusion. Something felt…wrong? No…

What was wrong was the rightness.

Even with all my questions of how and why I had arrived here in this room, it never felt like I _shouldn't _be here. The room felt…comfortable. Like somewhere I had been before. Was it the similarity to the crystal I had been trapped in? No…it wasn't that. Something deeper. Something simpler. Something obvious and out of reach. It was infuriating. I could feel it like an itch that would never go away. I…had been here before? No. I hadn't. I had no memory of being here. Nothing looked familiar. But…it _felt_ familiar.

Beyond that. Beyond my surroundings. Something else was wrong. Very wrong. There was something wrong with me. Not the wings. Not on the outside. Not on the inside either really. It's not something that's a part of me…it's something that defines me. It's something that creates me…

And it's missing.

Missing?

No.

Lost?

No…

Taken.

Yes…taken. And though I didn't know what it was…I knew who took it.

"Dammit," I said quietly. Why is he always…always getting in my way? I stepped forward again toward the doorway. I don't know where I am. I don't know what he took. I don't know if he's even alive. I don't know…anything. The only thing to do…is move forward. Move forward…and recover that part of me that Cloud took.

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Shit…a short chapter after a long wait…sorry guys. But at least Seph's back in the picture! Right? That's good!

Yea…sorry…it's not good enough, you're right. But uh…I haven't been getting many reviews…so…what do you expect. Sorry to pass the blame. I'm a worthless individual…I apologate. See you next chapter…whenever that is.


	6. Memory Lining

Here it is. Oh…and I disclaim all the stuff I don't own.

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Broken Halo: Chapter 6

Memory Lining

The door creaked open slowly. As the gap widened, light seemed to pour out from the room I was being held in, and emptied into the room before me. Quietly, I placed a hand on Masamune and stepped through into the dim hallway.

The first thing I noticed was the silence. It was pressing, almost suffocating, and it surrounded me instantly, filling in the area in front of the doorway as soon as it had closed. I felt immediately alone. Cordoned off from any human contact, abstract and aloof from the existence of others. For a moment I felt my mind reel and twist back upon itself in defense, then, in the briefest space of time, the feeling subsided and I returned to normal. There was something about this place that completely shattered my composure and, try as I might, I couldn't place it.

The hall was lit dimly, though I soon realized that it was lit quite brightly and it only seemed dark because of the intensity of the previous room. Strange glowing lines in the ceiling accounted for most of the light, though lined along the walls, strange capsules also aided in the effort.

I began to walk, my footsteps being swallowed by the silence, and as I walked, I inspected the pods. Each one was tall enough to fit a grown man and was filled with a fluorescent pale blue fluid. Pipes and wires exploded from the top of the devices and raced each other into a large gaping hole in the wall.

I turned a corner and was faced with another set of pods that led toward a wall with a rusted metal door. I passed by them in silence, remaining alert for any change in my surroundings. I reached the door and pulled forcefully at the handle, shaking the rust from the hinges and swinging the door back.

Another hallway lay before me, this time with slightly more ornate capsules. I tread carefully down the aisle, listening to the nothingness that enveloped me. I turned yet another corner and found yet another row of glowing pods. I began walking again, but something caught my eye.

Further down the hall, the lighting seemed a bit strange. Oddly shaped, but very faint shadows moved up and down slowly against the far wall. I moved forward, readying Masamune, preparing for what my come. One by one, the pods came into view until the last two were the only ones unseen. I stepped forward and discovered that the final two capsules were not empty like the others.

In one of them, a strange creature that appeared to be a giant duck floated, unconscious in the shimmering fluid. In the pod next to it, another odd creature with a long nose and buck teeth floated peacefully inside. I moved closer, watching the pods carefully. The two appeared to be harmless, completely unconscious.

My mind flashed back to my days in the ShinRa laboratories. Could this place be a lab as well? I shuddered slightly at the thought. Then these creatures…perhaps…experiments?

I placed a gloved hand against the glass of the duck's capsule. I wonder…what it had used to be? Was it human? Was it a mutation? Was some scientist trying to play God again?

"Hmph," I snorted. My sound exploded in the silence like a symphony. "God? God is not an object of science. God can not be achieved through science…" I would know. Godhood is only achievable through power. Power is the catalyst to transcend mortal bonds.

"I couldn't agree more."

Masamune nearly leapt into my hand as I drew it from its sheathe. I whirled in place and tore the blade upwards, ripping through the source of the noise. The blade connected with nothing.

In front of me, a man looked at me with a pleasant smile. His face was covered, wrapped almost entirely in red bandages except for his mouth and right eye. His hands were held respectfully behind his back, and his one eye shown a brilliant orange.

For an instant, I was bewildered. Masamune had definitely passed through that exact spot. The man couldn't have dodged. If he had moved at that speed, I would have felt some sort of motion in the air. In that case…

I leapt backward, flicking Masamune out and biting into the man's neck with the blade. The silver blur passed through the man again without any resistance. I landed several feet away and raised Masamune so the blade rested comfortably on my left arm. The man's eye widened slightly, indicating a raised eyebrow behind the bandages and his mouth twisted upwards slightly into an amused grin.

"You're reflexes are quite im-"

"Who are you?" I interrupted. The apparition spoke to me as though it knew me personally. On the Planet, this was understandable. Not many people hadn't heard of me…but, and I was sure of it now, this _wasn't _the Planet.

"Well of course you wouldn't remember that's only natural-"

Wouldn't remember?

"_Who are you_?" I repeated with an edge on my voice.

The flickering image narrowed its one eye. It stepped forward and leaned in toward me as though inspecting me closely. I remained still, watching the man closely. His bright orange eye met my own aqua irises. After another moment, he straightened and sighed.

"DiZ," he said with a melancholy tone. "My name is DiZ." He squinted and then sighed again. "It seems you have regressed quite a bit during your sleep."

"Then you are responsible for my being here?"

"In part."

"How do you know who I am?" I asked slowly.

The man frowned slightly but almost immediately grinned with enthusiasm. "I don't." He let out a laugh. "I don't remember ever having met you before in my life!" I raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Then where did you hear my name?"

DiZ chuckled again. "I keep very good notes." The image stepped toward the glowing pod that contained the duck creature. "There was a whole page designated to who you are and what you were doing in my laboratory. Not to mention why I shouldn't remove you from stasis." He nodded. "It seems as though I knew you quite well for a while."

It was hard to understand what the man was trying to say. "Then you know why I was in that tube? You know what happened to the Planet?" God…I sound so desperate.

"I don't really know what happened to your planet exactly." DiZ turned to me and placed a slightly shivering hand against the glass of the tank. "As to why you were in the tube, I was given very specific instructions not to tell you."

Not to tell me? "What are you talking about?"

DiZ smiled sadly. "I'm not entirely sure. But there is one thing. I don't know why it's written there or what it means but…I apparently wrote, 'Every Cloud has a silver lining.'" The man shrugged. "It sounds rather silly to me."

But I wasn't listening anymore. I was walking to the door, stomping in fact. So it was Cloud. God knows what the "silver lining" stands for…but now I know without any doubt at all, that Cloud had stolen that crucial piece of mine.

"Where are you going?" DiZ shouted after me. I did not turn, did not respond, did not show any indication of hearing him. I was done with him. It was time to move on, to find that bastard and get back what was mine.

I pushed open the metal door and entered the next room. A large computer adorned one wall while a crackle of electricity spiked from a strange device across from me. I stepped forward, glanced at a particularly empty space of the room, and drew Masamune. The blade flew out and stopped short in mid-air.

"There's no need to hide yourself."

The air shimmered and suddenly, DiZ appeared. He looked uneasy with Masamune's point hanging inches from his face. "I apologize for hiding myself from you."

"Where is this place?" I interrupted him. I wasn't interested in him, I simply wanted to get going.

"This is my lab. As for the world itself, this is Twilight Town."

So I had been right. This was a new world. "How do I leave this place? What I need isn't here."

DiZ nodded and I lowered Masamune, resheathing it. He turned toward his computer and pressed several buttons. "According to the schematics I have on you, you should be able to transport yourself through your own power to any place you can imagine." I didn't like the idea of him knowing things about me that I didn't, but I nodded. "The darkness that you control will open a path and you can follow the darkness that connects the hearts of worlds."

"That sounds ridiculous." I sighed. "Alright. So if I want to go to the Planet, I just imagine a place there and some sort of portal will tie itself between the regions and I can just walk through?"

DiZ nodded slowly. "Essentially…although it might help to see it…" he was cut off as a beep sounded from the computer. "Ah, my assistant is arriving. You should be able to witness it take place."

I noticed it at that point. There was a swelling of energy and then a large black oval opened in the center of the room. In a matter of seconds, a boy stumbled through, clutching at his right arm. He was wearing a blindfold, although long silver hair covered most of where his eyes would have been. He looked fairly beaten up.

DiZ cocked his head to one side and said, "What happened?"

The boy glared at the man in bandages and then looked at me. "It didn't work, now who's this guy?" I wondered how he could see me.

"It doesn't matter," I said. "I was just about to leave."

The boy sniffed and turned on his heels. "I wasn't strong enough DiZ. I've got some things I need to think about now." He walked out of another door in the back of the room.

DiZ watched him go and shook his head. "Damn…"

I closed my eyes and envisioned the Planet. After a moment, I got some sort of echo that came across a wide and incredible plain. "The Planet is gone."

DiZ looked at me. "Yes."

Somehow I wasn't surprised. "Where then?" The man seemed to know a lot. It made sense to ask him.

"My old world of Radiant Garden might be a good place for you to start your journey." He pressed some buttons and the large screen displayed a planet and several specific locales. I nodded and closed my eyes.

There was a surge of energy and when I opened my eyes again, I was surrounded by billowing clouds of darkness. Resolutely, I stepped forward and began to walk through the blackness. I hoped that this new world would help me find him. His time was through. Once I got back what was mine, I was done with my silly mind games. Cloud would die for sure this time.

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Been feeling lazy…sorry for the huge delay. Can't promise I'll be doing things any faster anymore. I've been involved in an RP round here and having a good time with that and it sort of steals my creativeness away. So there that is.


	7. Meeting With Nobody

Good lord it's been over a year since I updated this author-forsaken fic. I'll be honest with you, I'm finding it hard to get motivated on this thing. I no longer like writing in first person for one thing. But I can't just change that in the middle of the story. No, I'm stuck in this writing style until I finish it.

It's really thanks to jediempress for getting my act together and letting me know that there are still people who wanna read this thing. Please review, it would mean so much to me if you did. Lemme know you still like it and I might even write some more. I know where I want it all to go…I just need some motivation getting there. Thank you all for bearing with me all this time. I am unworthy of you love.

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Broken Halo: Chapter 7

Meeting With Nobody

The darkness pressed in about me, shifting shapes like billowing clouds that drifted in and out of existence. The whole place felt unreal. I knew that I was walking, but at the same time, I felt that there was no need for actual movement. Thinking about this, "Radiant Garden" would get me to my destination just as quickly as running or walking through this place would.

There was movement on the edge of my vision; small things, probing their way toward me only to be lost and replaced by others. I wondered what they might be but continued traveling toward my destination. There wasn't a way to track distance, but I knew that I was growing closer to the place DiZ had directed me to. I wondered again if I should trust him or not.

Without warning, there was a rush of wind and color and the darkness disappeared, being replaced with a vast track of deep grey, almost purple land. The strange landscape stretched out for miles in every direction, only one of which was the sight impeded by rising mountains that climbed steadily out of the horizon. It was barren and desert-like.

"Radiant Garden…" I said quietly to myself. It was ironic, almost to the point of amusement. There was no direction that seemed more likely to yield life than any other, so I pulled Masamune from my side and sat down silently. There was much to think about.

The Planet was gone now. I laid a hand down on the cracked earth. No…there was no lifestream here. I could feel something different, almost like a pulse that resounded deep beneath the surface…but it was faint and far away. It was almost like a heartbeat. The Planet was gone…but Cloud still lived.

He was still alive somewhere. What's more, I was certain now, he had taken something important from me. It had nothing to do with Jenova, I finally decided. The power she had granted me had been useful but I felt I had no more need for it now. I was strong enough as I was now. There would be no need for her help, her deceit. No. From now on I would move forward of my own volition, standing on my own feet with no help from her or anyone else.

But which direction was forward. As far as I could tell, the world I had entered was void of any life at all. I couldn't sense any life for miles in any direction. The possibility that I had landed in a wasteland was clear enough, but what reason did I have to believe there was life elsewhere on this miserable world.

"Interesting."

A deep voice boomed out over the wasteland from behind me. In a flash I was standing, gripping Masamune's hilt. Three men stood not so far away from me. They wore identical black robes with the hoods that covered their faces. How could I have missed them? I hadn't sensed a thing. And neither had Masamune…

"Whoa-ho, fancy meeting someone all the way out here, eh?" One of the cloaked men took a step forward and threw his hood back. He appeared to be a middle aged man with an eye patch. A large scar ran down his cheek. His hair was slicked back and held in a pony-tail. "Pretty weird." He lifted an arm and waved emphatically. "Hey winged dude! Did you just warp here?"

Silently, another one of the men stepped forward and placed a hand on the speaker's shoulder. "Xigbar, please." I recognized him as the one who had spoken first.

Xigbar looked back at the other man and sighed. "Aw come on Saix, is it such a problem if I pretend to have a heart? Come on, it's not like we're in the castle anymore anyway."

The third man stepped forward now, his arms held behind his back. "Saix is right." His veiled face turned to Xigbar. "You seem weak when you act like that, Number 2."

Xigbar was quiet for a moment and then shook Saix's hand from his shoulder. "Yeah alright, whatever." He looked back to me and placed his hands on his hips. "So who are you anyway?"

"I could ask you the same question," I said softly.

Xigbar blinked with his one good eye and then let out a rough barking laugh. "Well don't you have quite the attitude." He glanced at each of his companions and then began walking toward me. "You some kinda tough guy or something?"

"And if I was?" Slowly I began to draw Masamune.

Xigbar didn't slow but his hands extended as he walked. There was a flash of light and he was suddenly holding two dangerous looking weapons. They looked a bit like guns. "Well then you and that long-ass sword of yours would make a pretty useful heartless."

Beyond Xigbar, I saw a shimmer and one of the other men disappeared. I tensed, ready for him an assault, but he reappeared in front of Xigbar, stopping him in his tracks.

"We don't have time for this right now." Saix's cold voice hissed across the wasteland. "We need to find Roxas."

My grip on Masamune tightened. Did they really think that they could treat me like this? Did they honestly think that they could start something with me and then call it off because they had other plans? This world was full of cocky idiots that needed to be shown their place, it seemed.

In less than a second I was standing beside Xigbar, Masamune's blade held up against his neck. The man blinked and then looked down at the cold steel pressed against his Adams apple. He swallowed nervously, the movement of his throat causing a shallow red line to form.

Beside me, Saix blurred and reappeared a few feet away. "Don't do anything hasty," he hissed.

He sounded almost like he was threatening me. What an absurd notion. I withdrew Masamune from Xigbar's throat and stepped away from the man. He let out a held breath and leapt back nervously.

"I don't negotiate with people who keep their faces secret," I said, pointing Masamune toward Saix. "Remove your hood."

Saix paused for a moment and then silently reached up and pushed his hood back over his head. As the man's face became visible, I saw a large X-shaped scar across the bridge of his nose. He had yellow eyes and silvery-blue hair. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment and he grabbed onto his hood and pulled it off of his shoulders. It came away cleanly. He held it in his hands, staring down at it without any discernable emotion.

"Whoa! When did you do that!?" Xigbar shouted in surprise.

"Just before I nicked your throat," I said calmly.

Saix dropped his disembodied hood to the dead earth and looked up at me. "It would seem that apologies are in order." He shot a glance at Xigbar who dropped his weapons. They disappeared in a flash of light. Saix turned his gaze to the third of their party. "Xaldin, your hood." The other man reached up and tossed his hood back. It remained rooted to the cloak, though I saw him watch it closely. Quietly, I sheathed Masamune.

"I'm sorry for my companion's actions, and for my own rudeness."

I nodded.

"I am Saix." He gestured toward Xigbar and the other man. "Xigbar, and Xaldin." He paused for a moment, watching me for some response. When I remained silent, he continued. "We are part of Organization XIII. We mean you no harm."

"I should hope so," I spat. "Weaklings like you couldn't lay a finger on me."

Saix didn't even flinch as I insulted him. He watched me impassively for a moment and then spoke again. "I recognize your strength, but do not be so free with your words. We are not without skill ourselves."

"Oh?" I smiled. "And what if I were to aggravate you further?"

Saix was silent for a long time before speaking again.

"Then you would be labeled an enemy of the Organization," he said simply.

As he spoke, I realized that there was something wrong with him. Something about these three men that was off. I couldn't sense them when they appeared…and even as they stood before me, I could feel nothing. It was like they were empty.

"What are you?"

"Hah!" Xigbar laughed again from behind me, I turned to look at him. "We're just a bunch of Nobodies." He stepped forward, pointing at his chest. "That means no hearts, dude." He straightened up, his face going blank. When he spoke again, his voice was bland. "It also means no emotions." He stared blankly at me for a second before shaking his head and laughing. "But it's more fun if you fake 'em says I."

"Xigbar that's enough!" Saix yelled. I turned to face him. He was looking at me now. "Well we've told you all about us. Now who exactly are you?"

"My name is Sephiroth." As I spoke, my mind was racing. These men had no hearts? They were "nobodies"? Something about their story resonated with me. "I'm traveling alone…my home planet is…gone." They didn't have hearts. The idea seemed familiar somehow. "I'm searching for someone as well. Cloud Strife."

"Oh?" Saix perked up. "We know of him."

I felt my blood begin to rise, my pulse quickening at the new information. "Do you know where he is?" I said as impassively as possible.

"Last time we got any reports, he was on this planet. He's one of the stronger inhabitants of the world."

So he might very well be on this world. I felt a smile split across my face. Things were working out better than I could have hoped for.

"By the looks of things, it seems we have an enemy in common," Saix finished calmly.

I looked up at the nobody, his yellow eyes shining dangerously. Silently, I stepped toward him, stopping in front of him. "Don't misunderstand, Saix." I hissed. "Cloud is my target. If you or your Organization get in my way I will not hesitate to destroy you."


End file.
